Modan Jidai
by Senay
Summary: What if Kikyo had been unsuccessful in sealing Inuyasha? What if she died and Inuyasha lived until Kagome's time? The story is finished!
1. A Mission

Author's notes: This is a completely A/U. Kagome is 19 and Inuyasha is (whips out calculator) almost 500 years old. Now pay attention because things are about to get strange. Ps. This thing is going to be massive! So be warned. But I really think it is going to be good!  
  
  
  
1 Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter one: A Mission  
  
2 Disclaimer: I own nothing. FEY!  
  
  
  
Inuyasha walked slowly up the many stairs leading to the shrine.  
  
This was the place.  
  
The sunset shrine. Inuyasha pushed his sunglasses up his nose to make sure they completely covered his eyes and checked once more to make sure his hair remained black. The spell was working. He reached the top of the stairs and stopped to take in the sight. The shrine was old. Even older than he was. His gaze turned to the ancient Go-shinboku tree. He reached out a blunt nailed hand to trace it's rough bark. A memory flashed through his head.  
  
(Flashback)  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kikyo shouted. He turned just in time to see her release the arrow. He felt the incredable pain as the arrow pierced his heart and threw him against the tree, pinning him to it.  
  
"Kikyo!" He shouted and watched as she fell to the ground in front of him. "Kikyo!" he wrenched the arrow out of his chest and stumbled to her. He pulled her small body into his lap. She lay there gasping. "Kikyo," he said. "What happened?" She was bleeding heavily and the dark blood was staining his robes black.  
  
"Inu.. .yasha," she choked. "Why did you betray me?" He drew back, startled.  
  
"Nani?" he asked frantically but she convulsed in his arms and then laid still. "Kikyo," he whispered and clutched her body tightly to him as he screamed. "NOOOOO!"  
  
(End Flashback)  
  
Inuyasha jerked and drew away from the massive tree. He stared at it, breathing heavily.  
  
"Excuse me," came a voice behind him. He turned to see a young woman of about 19 standing behind him. She wore the garb of a miko and had black as night hair with smoky green eyes. "May I help you with something, sir?" she asked. Her voice was musical in its quality and Inuyasha could smell her sweet scent even from the disance that they were apart. But the most startling part was that she looked almost exactly like. . .  
  
"Kikyo. .." he breathed. The girl cocked her head to one side and gazed at him curiously.  
  
"Nani?" he shook himself from his memories and forced a fake smile.  
  
"I'm looking for the head of the shrine," he said smoothly. "I would like to inquire about some historical documents."  
  
"Oh." The girl said. "That would be me. My grandfather died a few years ago and now I take care of the shrine in his place. My name is Higurashi Kagome," she said and smiled brilliantly. 'What a beautiful smile. . .' he thought.  
  
"Yasha Inu." He replied.  
  
"I'm pleased to meet you." She said and then offered."Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" he paused for a second then decided there was nothing against that option.  
  
"Yes, I would thank you." 'Who is this girl?' he thought as he followed her inside. 'And why do she and Kikyo look so much alike?'  
  
Inuyasha sat down at the polished table and looked around him. The kitchen was warm and smelled like cookies. 'This is a home.' He thought sadly. 'I wish for a place like this.'  
  
Kagome looked at the young man at her table out of the corner of her eye. For just a second his image flickered and in his place sat someone with silver hair, golden eyes and. . .dog ears? Kagome gasped and turned quickly to look at him fully. The handsome dark-haired man looked at her curiously.  
  
"Nani?" he asked. She smiled.  
  
"Nothing," she answered. "Just for a second I thought you looked different. It must have been the light." He frowned.  
  
"How did I look?" She laughed cheerfully and turned back to the tea.  
  
"It was so strange. For a second I thought your hair was silver." Inuyasha's heart began to beat hard in his chest. 'Can she see through the spell?' he thought. He picked up a lock of his long hair and held it in front of his eyes. Black. Then he looked at the woman making him his tea. His eyes narrowed. 'So that's it,' he thought and then muttered a string of curses under his breath. She was a real miko. Even though the mikos of this age never required their spiritual powers and therefore never developed them, this one seemed to be especially powerful. 'And able to see through my spell. Damn.' He scowled and made to get up to leave but Kagome placed a steaming cup of tea in from of him. 'Damn again.'  
  
"What sort of documents are you looking for?" she asked. He swallowed and hoped she wouldn't be able to see through the spell before he could get the information he needed.  
  
"I'm looking for any information on a jewel caled the Shikon no Tama." She blinked.  
  
"The jewel of four souls?" she said. Her expression turned thoughful and she bit her lower lip in concentration. Inuyasha resisted the urge to reach out and touch her face and instead focused on the tea in front of him. 'What is wrong with me?' he thought. 'I haven't been like this since-'  
  
"I'm not sure I have any documents regarding the shikon no tama but I'm pretty sure I remember the legend," she said. "If I remember correctly the Shikon jewel was being gaurded and purified a powerful miko, but she was attacked and killed by a hanyou and the jewel was stolen. The hanyou must have used to to become a full youkai or something like that." Inuyasha looked at her sharply.  
  
"Why do you think that?"  
  
"Think what?"  
  
"That the hanyou would use the jewel to become a full youkai?" she shrugged.  
  
"Hanyou's were outcasts. They belonged to neither the youkai world nor the human world. Who would want to live like that? And I assume he would want to become a youkai because they were more powerful." Inuyasha stared in amazement. 'Who IS this girl?' he thought.  
  
"I'll be happy to research the subject for you though," she offered. Inuyasha gave a mental sigh of relief. Maybe here he would finally find some answers.  
  
"Thank you." They finished their tea and he left her with his phone number so she could call him if she found anything.  
  
  
  
Inuyasha stood by the window in his large apartment and stared outside. The windows were mirrored on the other side so no one could see in. The skyline of Tokyo glittered and glowed in the night. He leaned against the window and looked down. He was eleven stories up. A lifetime spent sleeping in trees had left him with a love of heights and he enjoyed the sight of the street so far below. He walked out unto the balcony and stood on the railing. He looked out at the city and sighed. Was this mission ever going to end? Or would he spend the rest of his already long life searching and coming up empty handed. Inuyasha noticed what he was staring at and turned away, putting the direction of the sunset shrine at his back. "Fey, she's just a stupid girl." He muttered. 'but why do I want to see her again so badly?' Inuyasha shook himself and went inside to go to bed.  
  
Okay here is my new fic. I REALLY like this one, but I have everybody else clammering for me to finish my other fics so this one is probably going to be on hold for a while. Sad. But from what notes I've written it's going to be nothing but a bunch of romance with a litle bit of comedy and drama added in to make it interesting. See ya'll later. -senay 


	2. Into the well

Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter two: Into the well  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: Yay! Chapter two! Chapter three is going to be really hard because I don't have any notes for it but chapter four is going to be sooooo good. . .  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome pulled the robe further around her shoulder and took a sip of her tea. She was wearing her fuzzy pink pajamas that she had had since high school and there was a plate of the cookies she had baked that morning at her elbow. Her desk in her room was covered with scrolls and books and she pushed her reading glasses further up her nose as she read. This particular scroll appeared to be very old. She had been searching through the shrine's small library when it had fallen off a top shelf and rolled to her feet. Curious, she had picked it up and opened it.  
  
It appeared to be the notes on the death of a miko named Kikyo by her younger sister Kaede. But the strangest part of all was that it claimed that Kikyo was the Miko who had been protecting the Shikon no Tama! Kagome had been trying to decipher it for over an hour and she was getting tired. She took her glasses off and laid them on the table and reached back to free her hair from it's ribbon. It fell dark and glossy around her shoulders and she reached up to massage her scalp. She stopped to listen to the quietness of the house before sighing. She still hadn't gotten used to living by herself yet. After her grandfather had died and she had graduated from high school her mother and brother had moved closer to Sota's school and her mother's work. Leaving Kagome to take care of the shrine. Kagome didn't mind taking care of the shrine. She loved the peacefulness here. 'It's just lonely sometimes, that's all. . .'  
  
Inuyasha sat in the tree and watched the girl reading. Suddenly he scowled and looked away. 'FEY! What am I doing here?' he asked himself. He looked back and saw her studying one particular scroll. He could make out the words clearly and read over her shoulder.  
  
( . . .  
  
The hanyou, Inuyasha attacked the village, killing my older  
  
sister, Kikyo and then disappeared. The Shikon no Tama has also  
  
disappeared. Many of the villagers believe that Inuyasha has taken  
  
the jewel but I have seen him since the attack and he does not  
  
appear changed in any way. He instead seems. . .sad. I saw him  
  
one night lay flowers on onee-sama's grave before disappearing  
  
back into his forest. . .  
  
)  
  
Inuyasha's eyes widened as he read. 'Oh Shit!' he thought. 'If Kagome sees this she'll know who I am!' His mind jumped for ideas before one came to him. He jumped out of the tree and to the ground below. He ran to the front door and knocked once.  
  
Kagome looked up when she thought she heard a knock on the door, laying the scroll down on the desk she got up to go check.  
  
Inuyasha watched from the tree and as soon as Kagome left the room he slid his claws under the windowsill and wedged it open. He slipped inside. He could hear Kagome open the door to the outside and then shut it again. He hurriedly snatched up the scroll and leapt out the window, closing it behind him as quietly as possible.  
  
&&&  
  
Back at his apartment, Inuyasha laid the scroll out on his desk and weighed the edges down with various paperweights. He sat down to finish reading. He had been reading towards the end, but Kagome had just picked the scroll up so she couldn't have been much farther than the beginning. He continued where he had left off.  
  
( . . . . Onee-sama had never seemed afraid of the hanyou Inuyasha, for all of his fierceness and strength. I do not fear him now either, for I know he did not kill my sister. I have seen the look in his eyes when he saw her and that one time by the river I saw them hug one another. . .)  
  
Inuyasha stopped reading and blushed. 'She saw that?!' he thought. He remembered that. It was the first time he told Kikyo he wanted to be with her, forever. They had held each other for a few minutes while the slow river had flowed beside them. Inuyasha pushed the past memories to the back of his mind and looked back down at the scroll.  
  
(. . . . . There is no word on the whereabouts of the shikon no Tama. It has disappeared. I believe that it has gone. . .)  
  
Inuyasha turned the scroll over. "Where?" he said and skimmed both sides of the scroll. "Gone where?" 'Damnit!' He thought. 'There must be another scroll! And Kagome must have it!' He threw the scroll down and ran his hands through his hair. 'There's no help for it,' he thought. 'I'll have to go see her tomorrow and see if she has it.'  
  
&&&  
  
Inuyasha knocked on the door to the shrine and checked his disguise one more time. He had layered the spells this time. Instead of a blanket spell making him appear human he had used "strips" of the different spells and wound them around himself. So instead of one big spell he was wearing several smaller ones that interlocked. They were much stronger this way, if not as comfortable. The part that made his eyes violet instead of their usual gold was particularly uncomfortable and he wore a pair of dark sunglasses to hide his now sensitive eyes from the sun. He shifted rather nervously from foot to foot as he waited at the door. He heard laughter within and recognized it as Kagome's voice.  
  
A second later she opened the door and stood there smiling. He raised an eyebrow at her silly appearance. She was wearing a strange hat on her head and had streamers braided and around her neck like a necklace. She smiled hugely and took the hat off her head.  
  
"Yasha-san," she said. "How are you?" Inuyasha blinked.  
  
"Who's at the door dear?" a woman's voice called from behind her. Kagome turned to answer her.  
  
"One of my friends mom," she said. "I'm doing some historical research for him." She turned back to Inuyasha. "It's my birthday today," she explained.  
  
"Oh!" he said and started to back away from the door. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you." His retreat was halted when Kagome reached out and grabbed his arm.  
  
"No wait!" she cried and then blushed and dropped his arm. "Do you want to come in? We're just about to cut the cake." She looked at him hopefully and before Inuyasha knew what was happening he was in her bright kitchen, newly decorated with birthday streamers and balloons. An older woman and a teenage boy greeted him when he came in.  
  
"This is my mom and this is my younger brother Sota," Kagome said. Inuyasha bowed politely.  
  
"Okay!" Kagome exclaimed. "Time for the cake!"  
  
&&&  
  
"Bye honey!" Mrs. Higurashi called from the front yard. Kagome and Inuyasha stood in the doorway. "I hope you had a nice birthday!"  
  
"I did mom. Thanks," Kagome replied.  
  
"I had better go," Inuyasha began but Kagome stopped him again.  
  
"Oh don't go yet! I have some new information on the Shikon no Tama I wanted to show you! Wait here and I'll go get it." Kagome ran up the stairs and into her room. She returned a few minutes later holding a scroll in one hand and a pair of glasses in the other. She rolled the scroll out on the kitchen table. "It looks like it's the account of a woman named Keade, who was the younger sister of the miko Kikyo who protected the jewel. It also mentions the hanyou who supposedly stole it but I can't make out the name." Kagome made a face as she concentrated on the paper in front of her. Inuyasha studied her while she did. She tucked a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The spells holding him in human form dulled his senses considerably but he could still smell her shampoo from where he was sitting.  
  
"Yasha –san?" Kagome's voice broke into his thoughts.  
  
"Inuyasha," he said.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"My name. My. . .friends. . .call me Inuyasha." She smiled.  
  
"Okay, Inuyasha." She looked back down at the scroll. "It will take me a couple more days to read the rest of this but I think we are making great progress." Kagome watched him stand and jumped around for a reason to have him stay just a little while longer. She desperately wanted to know why his eyes were always so sad. She wanted to put her arms around him and make everything all right. But most of all she just wanted to see him. She thought him beautiful with his violet eyes and inky black hair that fell to his back. And he always made her feel strange. Not strange bad, but more like butterflies in her stomach when he looked at her and a feeling of . . . comfort, and protection. "Would you- like a tour of the shrine?" she asked.  
  
Inuyasha looked down into her smoky green eyes and found himself caught. He felt he could drown in her eyes and die happy. Her upturned face reminded so much of Kikyo, but she was. . .different. Happier, and softer, more delicate than Kikyo ever was. He nodded yes and offered her a hand to help her rise. She took it and he held her hand in his for just a second before releasing her and following her outside.  
  
&&&  
  
The red-gold rays of the setting sun caught in her hair it to shine. Before he realized what he was doing, Inuyasha had reached out and stroked one curl with the tip of his finger. He caught himself and snatched his hand back as if it had been burned. 'What the hell did I just do?' he thought, shocked at his own strange behavior. Kagome hadn't noticed and continued on her cheerful descriptions about the shrine and its legends.  
  
"Oh, and this is the mini-shrine which holds the bone-eater's well." Inuyasha looked inside and saw a decrepit looking old wooden well at the bottom of a short flight of stairs. It was boarded over and sealed shut with wax and containment spell scrolls. A scratching noise caught his attention.  
  
"What's that noise?" he asked. Kagome stopped to listen.  
  
"Meow. . ." Kagome laughed.  
  
"Buyo! You silly kitty!" she said. "What are you doing in here?" She walked down the stairs to the level below and reached down to pick up the obese feline. Inuyasha felt a small smile pull at his lips but it quickly faded as he again heard the scratching noise accompanied by a strange aura. 'What is that?' he thought and jumped into the level below. Kagome turned to look at him, the cat still hanging bonelessly from her arms.  
  
"Nani?" she said. Inuyasha ignored her and leaned to see the well behind her. The wax sealing it abruptly melted and the boards burst upward as a centipede mononoke broke through the wards and rose menacingly from the well. Its torso was that of a woman, but with two sets of arms and an unearthly face.  
  
"Shikon No Tama!" It screamed. It lunged for the girl in front of her, but Inuyasha was faster. He grabbed Kagome and hurled her out of the monsters way, but then felt its arms grab him and drag him backwards into the well.  
  
Kagome stood dazed at what had just happened. Some sort of monster had dragged Inuyasha into the well! She ran to the edge and looked down to the well's dirt floor. Nothing was there.  
  
"Inuyasha!" She yelled. "Inuyasha can you here me? Are you down there?" 'Maybe. . .maybe there's a passageway down there or something,' she thought frantically. 'He could be hurt! I've got to help him!' Without thinking about it further, Kagome swung her legs over the edge of the well and fell in.  
  
  
  
Author's notes: Okay, kinda a weird chapter. The next one will be pretty interesting. I've decided that instead of having a lot of regular sized chapters I'm gonna have a few big ones. -Senay 


	3. The Hanyou Inuyasha

Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter three: The Hanyou Inuyasha  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: Yay! Chapter three. That was sooo hard to write. Argh!  
  
Inuyasha could feel his disguise spell be ripped off as he fell through the well. The multiple layers felt like they pulled off skin as they were torn from him. He hit the bottom of the well with a thud. He lurched to his feet and blinked his bleary eyes in an effort to find the youkai before it had an opportunity to eat him. He looked around and found himself alone in the well. Inuyasha had just looked up when a body crashed into his and again knocked him to the ground. He almost tore it apart before he recognized the girl lying on his chest.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome said and reached out to try to touch him in the darkness. Inuyasha could see her eyes were unfocused. She couldn't see him. He gave a mental sigh of relief. Then the moon came out and flooded the well with light. Kagome looked at him in surprise. "Inuyasha? What happened to you?" She asked. Inuyasha stood up, taking her with, and set her on her feet. She looked up at him. Inuyasha cringed slightly in anticipation of her screams and fright. He was very surprise to feel her hands on his ears.  
  
"Your ears are different," She said and continued to rub them. She lightly scratched at their bases and trailed her fingers across the smooth fur at the back.  
  
Inuyasha stood there in shock. 'She just saw me turn into a youkai and all she does is rub my ears?' He thought and then another thought entered his mind. 'Oi, that feels good…' He could feel his eyes beginning to drift shut and a purr build in his chest. He quickly snapped his eyes back open and snatched her hands off his head. 'Oi! Back to the business at hand!'  
  
"C'mon Kagome, we've got to get out of here," he said and scooped her unto his back. She gave an 'Eep!' of surprise and threw her arms around his neck. Inuyasha leapt out of the well and was surprised to find a forest instead of the well house. Inuyasha knelt down to let Kagome off his back and then stood beside her.  
  
"I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore Kagome," he said quietly. Kagome made a sound of agreement.  
  
"Oh look!" She said, pointing. Inuyasha looked in that direction and saw the massive tree that resided in her back yard. "The Go-shinboku tree!" She exclaimed and began to run towards it. "The shrine should be near here!"  
  
"Kagome wait!" Inuyasha called and ran after her. He could smell the youkai that had dragged him into the well in the area and he wanted her nearby in case it showed up again. He caught up to her just as she reached the Go- shinboku. She looked around confused and climbed up unto the roots of the tree. He stood at the edge of the clearing and watched her.  
  
Suddenly his ears perked up and he leapt to the ground in front of Kagome and snatched an arrow out of the air before it had an opportunity to hit Kagome. She gasped and hid behind him. Inuyasha whirled, snarling to see a group of men dressed in the style of the feudal ages and holding bows and arrows just on the outskirts of their clearing. The men's mouths dropped open at the sight of him and they suddenly turned and ran away screaming.  
  
"It's Inuyasha! Run! Inuyasha!" Inuyasha growled and took a step towards the fleeing villagers before he felt Kagome's hand on his arm. He turned to look at her. The beginnings of tears glistened in her eyes and she looked at him helplessly.  
  
"Inuyasha, what's going on?" He watched her open-mouthed in shock as a heavy tear fell from her eye and down her cheek.  
  
"Oh God! Don't cry!" He said. Another tear slipped out and she buried her face in her hands and cried.  
  
"O-oi!" Inuyasha tried. "Stop that!" She continued to cry and he gently took her hands away from her face and held them in his own. She lifted her tear-stained face up to see him and he held her hands to his chest. "Please Kagome. . .Please don't cry."  
  
"Inuyasha!" she cried and threw herself into his chest. Inuyasha startled and then gingerly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and used the other hand to stroke her hair.  
  
"It's okay," he said. "We'll find a way home. Things will be okay." Kagome raised her head slightly and he dropped his head and brushed his cheek against hers. Kagome shivered and he wrapped both his arms around her waist. She had just begun to relax against him when he suddenly snapped his head up and to the side then threw Kagome to the ground a few feet away. Kagome looked up in shock.  
  
"Nani?" She had just said when the monster from before, that had come out of the well, burst from the woods in front of them. Inuyasha stood between her and it.  
  
"I've found you!" It exclaimed and using its long coils it slammed Inuyasha off the ground and into the tree behind them.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed and the creature turned to her.  
  
"You! You have it! Give it to me! The Shikon no Tama!" the creature swooped down to hers and sank its fangs into her side. Kagome screamed as it threw her into the air and ripped out a chunk of flesh.  
  
"Kagome!" She heard Inuyasha yell and then there was a flash of light and she was falling. There was a bone-jarring thud as she hit the ground and she almost passed out. A round jewel fell to the ground beside her. She could see it shone dully and it was covered in blood. 'My blood?' she thought. 'Is that. . .the Shikon no Tama?'  
  
Inuyasha watched as Kagome was thrown into the air by the mononoke he was just about to use his claws to free himself and save her from her fall when he saw the jewel be ripped from her body. Inuyasha froze and watched horrified as Kagome fell to the ground and lay unmoving for a minute and the jewel landed beside her.  
  
'The jewel!' his mind screamed. 'The Shikon no Tama was. . .inside. . .of Kagome?' Kagome reached out a shaky hand for it and the centipede monster swooped down and sucked it into her mouth before she could grab it.  
  
"I'll take thisss…" it hissed as it swallowed the jewel. Inuyasha snarled and ripped through the coils of her body that were holding him and with a powerful thrust of his legs, jumped across the clearing and skidded to a halt in front of Kagome.  
  
"Kagome," he said without looking at her. "Can you stand?" The other youkai was enthralled with the feeling of her new power thanks to the Shikon jewel and didn't pay any attention to them. Kagome climbed laboriously to her feet and stood holding her side behind Inuyasha. "When I say so I want you to run as fast as you can away from here got it?" He didn't wait for her answer and instead yelled, "NOW!" and leapt at the youkai in front of them. Kgome turned and ran. She heard Inuyasha yell behind her and then there was another flash of light. Kagome had jsut made it to the edge of the woods when she was snatched off the ground and a hand was slapped over her mouth. She tried to scream.  
  
"Keade-sama! This girl was with Inuyasha! Do you think she's a Kitsune?" The man who held her called across the clearing.  
  
"Let me see her," said a woman's voice and she was turned to see her.  
  
A young woman wearing the garb of a priestess stared into her eyes. The man released her as she approached. She wore an eye-patch over her right eye and had long-black hair that was tied back with a ribbon . She held a bow in one hand and had a quiver of arrow thrown over one shoulder. She looked to be in her early twenties. Only a few years older than Kagome.  
  
  
  
"She is human," she told the men behind her. "What is your name girl?" Keade asked. Kagome looked at her dumbly then stuttered, "M-m-my name?" The woman nodded impatiently.  
  
"Yes! your name! What is your name?"  
  
"My name is Kagome. . ." The other woman grabbed her face and pulled it one way and then another. Kagome jerked out the the other woman's grip and glared at her.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Kagome you have miko powers in you. I can feel them," Keade told her. Kagome's eyes widened. "Can you see where the Shikon no Tama is?" she asked.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"The part of the body that glows, can you see it?"  
  
'Part of the body that glows?' Kagome thought and turned to see the demon destroyed and in pieces behind her in the clearing. Inuyasha was just standing up. His ears and eyes swiveled towards them. A piece of the body beside him twitched slightly and she saw a glow emanating from it.  
  
"There!" Kagome yelled. "Inuyasha! The Shikon no Tama is in the piece next to you!" Inuyasha looked up at her and then bent down to retrieve the jewel from the monster's body. The rest of the pieces immediately turned to dust, leaving only the bones behind. The woman next to her glared at her.  
  
"Fool girl! From one demon to another!" She reached into the folds of her robe and withdrew a rosary. "When I tell you to, utter a subduing spell," She said.  
  
"What do you mean a subduing spell? What for?"  
  
"To Subdue Inuyasha or he'll kill us all," the woman said. Her head snapped to watch behind Kagome and Kagome turned to see Inuyasha striding towards them. He was bloody and his golden eyes glowed with demonic fire. He truly looked terrifying in the dim light.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome said tentatively. Inuyasha took another step closer to them and Keade threw the rosary around his neck. Inuyasha jerked and reached down to try to remove the rosary.  
  
"Now Kagome!" The woman shouted. Kagome stood still, watching Inuyasha.  
  
"What the hell?" He yelled and growled as he tried to remove the necklace.  
  
"Say it now!" The woman insisted. Kagome looked between the two in confusion and looked back at the snarling Inuyasha. He took an intimidating step towards them.  
  
"Um. . .Um. . ." Kagome fumbled. Inuyasha's ears twitched at her voice. "Um...sit?" (Wham!) Inuyasha slammed face first into the dirt a few feet from them. He lay there twitching for a second while Kagome watched in horror. Inuyasha dragged himself off the ground. He glared at the woman beside her.  
  
"What the hell have you done you witch?" He demanded. He stood up. "Take these off!" The woman glared coldly at him from her one eye.  
  
"I cannot, only Kagome can take them off now." Inuyasha turned to Kagome and took a step towards her. Kagome took a step back and he stopped.  
  
"Kagome, I need for you to take this necklace off of me," he said softly. Kagome looked at him with pained eyes.  
  
"Inuyasha why is everyone so afraid of you? And where are we?" Inuyasha took another step towards her and she didn't move this time.  
  
"I promise I'll explain everything later, just please take this necklace off." Kagome looked up at him.  
  
"Okay," she said.  
  
"No you must not!" The woman said but Kagome didn't listen to her. Kagome reached behind him and pulled the necklace over his head. She looped it into a coil and handed it to him. Inuyasha sighed in relief.  
  
"Arigato Kagome." He clutched the beads and talons tightly in his fist and when he opened it they fell in pieces to the ground at their feet.  
  
"Are you okay?" Kagome asked and he looked at her shocked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her. He started to turn away from them when the woman's voice interrupted him.  
  
"Hold it there Inuyasha," she said and drew back her bow. "I may not have my elder sister's miko powers, but I can still put a few holes in you." Inuyasha regarded her calmly.  
  
"Keade, why do you wish to fight with me?" he asked. Keade looked surprised then she lowered her bow.  
  
"Inuyasha, so you remember me?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You've grown," he said. She snorted.  
  
"So have you."  
  
"Feh," he huffed and turned back to Kagome. "Are you alright Kagome?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah I'm okay, "Kagome said but continued to hold her side where the Shikon no Tama had been ripped from her body. Inuyasha knelt beside her to look at the wound. He delicately probed the area around it and was rewarded with a small whimper.  
  
  
  
"Gomen," he murmured. Kaede watched from over his shoulder.  
  
"That is going to need bandaging," she said. "I can take care of that. Bring her with you Inuyasha we're going back to the village." Inuyasha gave the young woman a strange look, then abruptly stood and swept Kagome up into his arms. He cradled her there as they started to walk off towards the village.  
  
&&&  
  
  
  
Kagome woke up to the soft sound of voices. She was laying on a futon in what resembled a hut. She had a heavy blanket over her and could see two figures sitting on either side of the fire across from her. Keade had her back to her but she could see Inuyasha's face.  
  
"She looks so much like Kikyo onee-sama," Keade was saying. "Do you really think she could be her re-incarnation?" Inuyasha's eyes looked sad.  
  
"Kagome and I aren't from this time. When Kikyo died, the Shikon jewel disappeared. If Kagome is her re-incarnation, it would make sense why the jewel was inside of her." Inuyasha held the bead between two fingers and looked at it in the firelight. "I've been looking for it for so long. . ."  
  
"What do you plan to do with it Inuyasha?" Keade asked.  
  
"I will protect it. Like I promised. Keade?"  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"How long has it been? Since Kikyo died?"  
  
"Ten years." Inuyasha was quiet for a long time.  
  
"We need to get back to our time. I think the way to do it would be to travel back through the well. We'll try it first thing in the morning." Kagome felt her eyes drifting shut.  
  
'Tomorrow, we'll go home.'  
  
  
  
AN: Okay and we have the entrance of Keade and the Shikon no Tama. Okay pay attention. For those of you who missed it, This is NOT fifty years post Kikyo's death. This fic occurs only ten years after Kikyo died. So Keade is still a young woman and Miroku, Sango and Shippo haven't been born yet. -Senay 


	4. Down by the River

Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter four: Down by the river  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: Okay this is a short chapter. Gomen.  
  
Inuyasha woke up slowly and blinked at his surroundings. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was and he lurched to his feet in a panic. Then he calmed down once he remembered where they were. Wait a minute. . . Inuyasha looked around the hut and found himself alone.  
  
"Kagome?" he said and then repeated louder. "Kagome?" Kaede stepped into the hut, her arrows slung over her shoulder and she carried her bow in one hand. She looked around also.  
  
"Where's Kagome?" She asked. Inuyasha glared at her.  
  
"She's not with you?"  
  
"No." Inuyasha cursed and hurried out of the hut. 'Where could she have gone?' he thought. 'How come I didn't wake up?' he knew though why he didn't. Kagome's presence and smell seemed to have a calming affect of him and he had slept harder than he had intended to. He looked around but was unable to see her within the confines of the village. Inuyasha sniffed delicately. Her scent was still fresh so she couldn't have gotten far. He hurried in the direction she had gone.  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome carefully folded her clothes and left them beside the river. She slipped into the river and clenched her teeth against the cold. Gathering her courage she ducked under the water to wash the blood and dirt out of her hair. She opened her eyes under water and watched her long hair float around her shoulders and in front of her face. Kagome had to smile. The waters of Tokyo were never this clear and clean. A fish swam in front of her and she burst through to the surface with a shriek.  
  
Inuyasha followed Kagome's scent to the edge of the river where it disappeared. He looked around in confusion before there was a mighty splash and a water slick creature erupted from the river with an unearthly shriek. Inuyasha leapt back, expecting a water kappa. When he looked closer though all he saw was Kagome. She shook her hair back, spraying water droplets everywhere. Inuyasha's breath caught and his heart sped up as he noticed what he had missed before.  
  
'Oh god she's naked. . .' the thought streaked through his head before it was replaced with a sort of numb fuzziness. He found himself rooted to his place on the bank with his eyes glued to the bare wet figure in front of him.  
  
"Oh wow," he finally managed to say. Kagome turned at the sound of his voice, giving him a splendid view in the process.  
  
"AAAH!" She screamed and dropped up to her neck in the water. "You Hentai!" She accused. Inuyasha had spun around when she had seen him and now resisted the urge to face her to defend himself. He snorted loudly.  
  
"Hey! I was just checking on you!" He said indignantly. Well, more like checking her out but that was beside the point. . .  
  
"While I was bathing?!" she screeched and Inuyasha pinned his ears against his head in an effort to protect them.  
  
"FEY! Stupid woman!" 'I wasn't spying on her!'  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kaede called. "Did you find her?" Inuyasha ran up the embankment and met Keade at the top.  
  
"Yeah, she's down there. I accidentally caught her bathing." Kaede raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Accidentally?" she asked skeptically and Inuyasha scowled and stomped off. 'Geez! What's up with these women? Do they think I have no sense of Honor?!' Inuyasha stopped when he was halfway back to the village and turned to look back at the river.  
  
'Actually, I need a bath too,' he thought and looked down at his hands. He had washed them yesterday but could still smell the blood in his clothes and hair. 'I'll go down stream and wash up. Maybe I can even wash my clothes. . .' Inuyasha's casual jeans and long-sleeved shirt he had worn to see Kagome yesterday, 'God, was it only yesterday?', had numerous tears and were stained dark in places with dirt and other things. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose at the sight and took off toward a spot a good distance down river from Kagome's bathing space.  
  
&&&  
  
Inuyasha jumped off a hanging rock and landed with a satisfying splash in the river below. He surfaced with a laugh and shook out his long hair. It had been too long since he had enjoyed the forests of his home. For this was his home, the time of his birth. He frowned. But he must never return here after he and Kagome went back to the modern world. There were too many Youkai that would do anything to get their hands on the Shikon no Tama he protected. He looked down at the jewel around his neck. No, it would be safer in the other world.  
  
"Listen you-" Kagome's voice came from behind him and Inuyasha's head snapped around to see her standing open-mouthed on the bank. "Oh," she managed and turned a bright red. Inuyasha could feel his face heating to match hers  
  
"Hey!" He yelled. "What are you doing here?" He scowled ferociously and Kagome burst into laughter. Inuyasha growled.  
  
"What is so funny?" he bit out. She grinned impishly.  
  
"Turnabout is fair play!" she announced.  
  
"Will you get out of here?" he demanded and when she made no move to leave he started to wade to shore. He got about waist deep before Kagome gave an 'Eep!' of surprise and fled back up the hill toward the village. Inuyasha smirked.  
  
"Fey."  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome put on the robes Kaede had given her. They were just like the ones she wore back home. Only instead of being green, the pants were a blood red. She tied her still slightly wet hair back with a ribbon as Kaede wore it and stepped out of the hut. She had decided not to wash her clothes after all and to wait until she and Inuyasha had gotten back to their time. Speaking of the devil . . . Kagome spotted Inuyasha coming back from the river. He hair gleamed silver in the morning sunlight and he had drawn it back into a loose braid held with a leather thong. She also noticed the way the villagers scurried out of his path as he made his way to Kaede's hut.  
  
"Inuyasha." He turned to see her and his brows slammed down into a scowl.  
  
"What are you wearing?" he demanded.  
  
"My clothes were ripped and dirty, Kaede had a spare pair of miko robes she could lend me so-"  
  
"Take them off!" He demanded and Kagome looked at him in indignant shock.  
  
"What?" She was just about to hit him for being a pervert when she caught the look in his eye. He looked unbelievably sad and lonely. That was the same way he had looked the first day she had seen him, by the go-shinboku at the temple.  
  
"Oh," she looked down at her appearance and remembered what Keade had told her. She looked up sadly to meet Inuyasha's eyes.  
  
"I look like kikyo don't I?" She asked and then without waiting for an answer turned to go back into the hut. "I'll go take them off."  
  
&&&  
  
"Inuyasha," Kaede said after Kagome had gone inside. "Kagome is most definitely the re-incarnation of my sister Kikyo. Perhaps the Gods have given you another chance to right your mistakes." Inuyasha reached down his shirt and pulled out the Shikon no Tama. He held it in one hand and looked sadly at its glittering surface.  
  
"My responsibility is this jewel now Kaede," he looked at the door that Kagome had disappeared through. "I can't get any more women involved in this."  
  
&&&  
  
They walked slowly out to well in the forest. Inuyasha walked ahead while Kagome trailed behind. Inuyasha stopped in front of the well and leaned to peer into its depths. It was dark but he could clearly see the bottom. The bones from the centipede mononoke littered the bottom with ribs pointing up like spikes. Inuyasha frowned.  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome bit her lip and turned away from his piercing golden gaze. "What does it mean that the shikon no Tama was inside my body?" Inuyasha looked away from her and back to the well. "Who exactly was Kikyo?" Kagome reached out to touch his arm and he pulled it out of her grasp.  
  
"Kagome I-"  
  
"Ite!" Inuyasha's head snapped up to see Kagome removing her hand from her face. There was a long cut along her cheek and it was bleeding slightly. There was blood on her hand.  
  
"Kagome, you're bleeding!" Inuyasha said but she wasn't paying attention to him. Kagome look around in wide-eyed horror.  
  
"They're everywhere," She whispered and backed up against the lip of the well. Inuyasha frowned.  
  
"What's everywhere?" He demanded.  
  
"La, You have the Shikon no Tama?" A voice came from behind him. Inuyasha whirled, snarling to see an oni woman standing apparently in mid air about twenty feet from and above them. She had short black hair and brilliant magenta eyes.  
  
"Give it to me," she demanded.  
  
  
  
Author's notes: Okay this was not my planned chapter four, things got away from me. I'll try to fix everything and put it back on track next chapter. Sorry it's so short ya'll but it was a good stopping place. After I get my first round of exams done next week I'll have lots more time to write. -Senay 


	5. Jewels and Silk

Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter five: Jewels and Silk  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: Yay! Chapter five! Enjoy!  
  
Inuyasha hit the ground hard with his fist and cursed fluently in several different languages. Kagome stood behind him shakily, holding the shard of the jewel in her hand. It had been an accident really. It hadn't really been his fault. Yura's remains lay scattered on the ground a few dozen feet away and Inuyasha sat at her feet bleeding from numerous wounds.  
  
"Inuyasha, Gomen ne," she said and he glared up at her from his position on the ground.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he demanded. Kagome's eyes began to water and she looked down in shame.  
  
"It's my fault. If you hadn't tried to save me the jewel wouldn't have been shattered and you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm so sorry." Inuyasha stared at her in astonishment. Slowly he stood up.  
  
"Kagome," he said resignedly and reached out to touch her shoulder. Kagome looked up at him. He looked away. "It's not your fault. It's mine. I shattered the damn thing," He sat down heavily and rested his head in his hands. "Now I've got to figure out how to put it back together.  
  
&&&  
  
"You'll have to go out and find it of course," Kaede said as she handed him the full bowl of soup. He sat without his shirt on the floor of the hut. Kagome had insisted on bandaging his wounds no matter what he said and he had eventually given up and let her. Almost his entire chest was covered in bandages with another small one on his arm as well. Kaede had helped with the bandaging and laughed at his ill-tempered complaints about women in general. Inuyasha glared at her and then scowled down at his soup.  
  
"Yeah but how? I can't even see the damn things. How am I supposed to know if a Youkai has them? I can't just go around in the bleeding fuedal ages asking if anyone has seen them. Fey! I search for the stupid thing for four hundred years and when I finally find it I shatter it!" He sighed and then muttered, "Some guardian I am."  
  
"You may not be able to see them Inuyasha," Kaede said. Inuyasha looked up at her annoyed. She waved a hand, indicating Kagome, "But Kagome can." Both Inuyasha and Kaede turned to look at Kagome, sitting beside them around the fire. Kagome stared back resolutely.  
  
"I'll help," She said. "But first Inuyasha, I think you owe me a few explanations." Kaede picked up her bow and stood to leave.  
  
"There are several sick children on the other side of the village. I need to tend them. If you need me send one of the villagers to find me." And with that she left the two alone. They were both quiet for a long time.  
  
"What do you want to know?" Inuyasha asked finally.  
  
"Everything," Kagome replied. Inuyasha sighed wearily and began talking.  
  
&&&  
  
"I promised myself I would guard it in her stead," Inuyasha said at last. "The shikon no Tama, but now I've shattered it."  
  
"You've been looking for it for four hundred years?" Kagome asked in amazement. Inuyasha nodded. "So that's why you came to the shrine," Kagome said more to herself than to anyone else.  
  
"Yes." Both looked up as Kaede re-entered the hut.  
  
"Are you finished?" She asked. Both nodded. "Good. Then I think now would be a good time for you to try to return to your world for the time."  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome climbed out of the well, glad to be back in her time. She smiled in anticipation of a hot shower and a soft bed. Inuyasha blocked her way out of the well house.  
  
"Kagome I want you to promise me something before I go." Kagome looked up at him expectedly. "You are not to go to the feudal times without me understand?" Kagome rolled her eyes and pushed him out of the way.  
  
"I'm a big girl Inuyasha." He grabbed her hand and pulled her back so she was facing him.  
  
"I know that Kagome but there are bigger youkai." She looked up into his eyes and readied an angry retort but stopped when she saw the look on his face. Determination and. . . something else. "And I want you to promise me," he said.  
  
"Demo Inuyasha-"  
  
"Promise me!" he insisted and she blinked. Kagome heaved a sigh and nodded her head in defeat. He sighed and released her.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
&&&  
  
Two days later Inuyasha opened his front door and found Kagome standing, smiling on the other side.  
  
"So this is where you live," She said and looked around him into the inside of the apartment.  
  
"Um, yeah," he answered nervously and continued to stand in the doorway. Kagome quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"You going to invite me in?" she asked. Inuyasha blushed slightly and quickly got out of her way.  
  
"Oh, um okay," he stumbled. Kagome smiled as she walked through the apartment. It was spotless, which she considered strange for a guy living by himself. There was a balcony to her right. It was overgrown with tons of plants and small trees Kagome smiled at the veritable jungle. Most of the furniture was a soothing green color with dark wooden panels on the walls. Huge bookshelves covered one whole wall of the living room and were crammed with hundreds of leather bound books. Kagome ran a finger along their spines and read the titles. Most were volumes of history. She pulled one off the shelf and opened it. Various notes were jotted in a neat hand along the margins, marking inaccuracies and conflicts. She smiled and looked up to see Inuyasha watching her.  
  
"So, um, Inuyasha what do you do?" she asked. He looked at her strangely.  
  
"Do?"  
  
"For a living," She explained. He waved a hand as if to dismiss the question.  
  
"Oh, I don't have a job or anything," he said. Kagome looked confused.  
  
"How do you pay for things?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I've been alive for almost five hundred years now and I've invested in things and I've bought property and I live off of that," he said. "I'll probably never have to work."  
  
"Must be nice." He made a face.  
  
"Actually, it's boring. But there isn't much I can do about it." He got up of the couch and headed towards the kitchen. "Want some ramen?" he called over his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, sure." Kagome got up to look around while he was gone. Most everything was old-fashioned and elegantly simple. Kagome then noticed a lack in electronics.  
  
"He doesn't have any TV's or computers," she mused aloud.  
  
"I hate the things," Inuyasha said. Kagome turned to see him come out of the kitchen holding two bowls of ramen. They sat on the couch and ate in a comfortable silence. "So," he said when they were finished eating. "What did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Well," Kagome started and then blushed slightly. "I was going to make a big dinner for my family tonight but then something came up and now they can't come. So I have all the supplies and I was hoping you would want to come over for dinner tonight." Inuyasha's face showed surprise and Kagome wondered why. 'Surely he has friends?' she thought but then the more she thought about it the more she was sure he didn't. His life revolved around that jewel and his being a half-demon probably put a huge kink in his socializing.  
  
"I would love to come," he said jerking her out of her internal thoughts. Kagome smiled brightly and Inuyasha turned his head away and got up off the couch. "I have something for you. Stay here I'll be right back." He returned after a minute and handed her a package wrapped in maroon silk.  
  
"I'm sorry it's late," he said softly. She looked at him confused. "Your birthday. It's a birthday present." She opened the carefully wrapped package to reveal a beautiful emerald green silk kimono. Embroidered cranes decorated it's surface and a cream colored obi was carefully folded and put on top. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha breathless.  
  
"It's beautiful. . ." she said. Inuyasha turned his eyes away from her face.  
  
"It made me think of you when I saw it," he said. Kagome reached out and delicately touched his face. Inuyasha looked back at her.  
  
"Inuyasha. . . Arigato." 


	6. The Right Black Pearl

Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter six: The right black pearl  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: Okay we are coming up on the scene that I wrote this ENTIRE fic around. My beta readers know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I'm sorry it took me so long to update but as you can see this is a nice big chapter so I hope this tides you over till I get finished fleshing out the rest. Have fun! -Senay  
  
Kagome stared up at Inuyasha, high in the branches of the old tree. He seemed to be lost in thought as he gazed out over the forest. He was wearing the armored Kimono he had shown her before. It was made of the fur of a fire-rat, whatever that was. But Kagome decided that he looked nice in red.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled up at him. Inuyasha looked down from the tree branch he was standing on. Kagome stood below him with her pack. She was wearing a fuzzy pink sweater and blue jeans. The cool wind picked up her hair and shook it around her shoulders. Inuyasha smiled slightly.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"What are you doing up there?" She asked. "Don't we need to go shard hunting?" Inuyasha frowned and looked back out over the forest. He had a strange feeling something was coming. He could almost smell it.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled again. Inuyasha made a sound of resignation and took a step back. Kagome shrieked as he plummeted to the ground but quickly caught her breath and he landed lightly in front of her. She clutched her beating heart as if it would burst from her chest and glared at him.  
  
"You scared me!" She accused. "I thought you had fallen out of the tree!" Inuyasha smirked at her and grabbed her pack from off the ground  
  
"Youkai don't fall out of trees, or Hanyou for that matter." Kagome blinked at him. `Oh that right,' Kagome thought. `Inuyasha's a hanyou. . .' her brow furrowed as she followed him out of the clearing. `But if he's only half dog-demon then what is his other half?' Kagome was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Inuyasha had quit walking and she ran into the back of him. She looked up. Inuyasha had a strange look of his face but he wasn't looking at her.  
  
"Inuyasha-"  
  
"SHH!" he said and reached behind him to pull her closer to him. He looked around warily. Suddenly he slapped his cheek and then ripped his hand away to glare at his palm. "FEH! It's only Myouga-jiji. What are you doing here old man?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha like he was nuts before noticing the small insect in his hand begin talking.  
  
"Oh! Inuyasha-sama!" Myoga squeaked, bowing low within his confines of Inuyasha's palm. "It is so nice to see you again! Although I must say you look much older than when I last saw you!" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.  
  
"More so than you realize old man. What are you doing here?" Myoga ignored Inuyasha and instead turned to Kagome.  
  
"And who is this beautiful young lady?" He said, bowing to Kagome. She in turned eyed him warily.  
  
"This is Kagome," Inuyasha said. Myoga hopped up and down excitedly.  
  
"Oh Inuyasha-Sama! Your father would be so proud of you for choosing a human mate! And I know your lady mother would als-" Inuyasha twitched his hand and effectively squished Myouga between two fingers. He then dropped the flea and stepped on him.  
  
"Kagome is not my mate and Mother died a long time ago. You will not speak of her."  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome said reprovingly. Inuyasha ignored her and squatted on the ground to wait for Myoga to re-inflate himself. When he did Inuyasha continued.  
  
"Now, old man, tell me why you're here," He said.  
  
&&&  
  
"Ah, my dear younger brother," Sesshoumaru said. He stood casually a few feet away from them.  
  
"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha growled. "You're still alive.. ." Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Of course," he looked behind Inuyasha where Kagome was standing with her bow and wrinkled his nose. "I see you are associating with humans. How appropriate." Inuyasha growled again and his brother laughed coldly. "I suppose you will never be rid of that infection that is your human blood. A pity. I hate to see father's blood so...tainted."  
  
"What are you doing here you bastard?" Inuyasha growled and moved closer to Kagome. Sesshoumaru smirked.  
  
"I've come for Father's grave of course," he said. Suddenly the full demon had Inuyasha by the throat.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried behind him, watching terrified.  
  
"Now be an obedient little brother and give this Sesshoumaru what he came for." And without another word Sesshoumaru plunged two fingers into Inuyasha's right eye and plucked it out. He threw his younger brother away from him and laughed at the sight of the bloody black pearl between his fingers.  
  
&&&  
  
Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to growl as he eyed his brother holding the Tetsusaiga. That little human wench had managed to pull it out and had promptly handed it to Inuyasha. He looked at the girl Inuyasha was with and spotted his brother's weakness. Within seconds he had the girl by the throat. He sliced through the cord holding the tiny bag with the Shikon no Kakera around the girl's neck and the bag fell into his hand. He could already feel the power of it coursing through his body. He smiled sadistically. Kagome yelped and Inuyasha drew in a sharp breath. Neither of them had even seen Sesshoumaru move. Inuyasha growled and held up the rusted Tetsusaiga.  
  
"She has no part in this Sesshoumaru. Leave her alone," Inuyasha stood very still as his brother tightened his hold on Kagome. She whimpered slightly and closed her eyes.  
  
"So protective of the wench," Sesshoumaru observed. "Are you mated then?" He sniffed carefully at Kagome's hair and then smirked. "No it seems not." Inuyasha clenched the Katana in his hand.  
  
"Let. Her. Go." Sesshoumaru made a face of disdain.  
  
"Fine," He said and then knocked Kagome a passing blow as he threw her away from him. He didn't even bothering to use his poison talons. His razor sharp claws were enough to slice her skin before she slammed into the wall and fell bonelessly a dozen feet away. Inuyasha's heart stopped beating and he watched terrified until he saw Kagome's chest move with a reluctant breath. She was alive. At least for now. But she was bleeding from the gashes in her chest and side and she probably had a few broken ribs at the least.  
  
"Keep the Tetsusaiga," Sesshoumaru continued. "It will have little affect once I have fully absorbed the Shikon no Tama," he said and held up the shard.  
  
"Sesshoumaru, you bastard," Inuyasha said and strode to Kagome's body and stood over her protectively as he raised the sword. "I'll kill you for this," He said and the rusted blade in his hands pulsed. He looked down at it in surprise. `Tetsusaiga has a heartbeat?' he thought.  
  
&&&  
  
Inuyasha looked worriedly down at the girl he carried in his arms. The deep gashes had bled terribly and the blood soaked the front of her shirt. Sesshoumaru had fled after the transformation of Tetsusaiga, taking the shard with him. Inuyasha had rushed back to the well with Kagome. She had yet to awaken. Outside the well-house rain poured steadily and the air was unseasonably cold. Inuyasha dropped swiftly to one knee and gently laid his precious cargo on the cold floor. Kagome's face contorted with pain and she tried to curl herself into a ball. Inuyasha stripped himself of his outer kimono and draped the fabric over her, tucking in the edges before again picking her up. She would die soon from the blood loss if he didn't do something. But how was he to explain these wounds at a hospital? Plus there was his own appearance; He didn't have time to cast the spells necessary to make himself appear human. Cursing himself for an idiot, Inuyasha threw open the door to the  
mini-shrine and bolted out into the rain. Using his demon speed he ran as fast as he could to his apartment.  
  
Inuyasha kicked open the door to his bedroom, nearly taking the door off its hinges in the process and swiftly crossed the room to lay Kagome on the bed. He left and quickly came back with an oversized first aid kit. Inuyasha debated for a second as to how to remove her shirt without hurting her further and in frustration shredded the shirt and tossed the pieces to the floor. Trying not to look, he cleaned and bandaged the horrible wounds. She woke up.  
  
"Inuyasha, am I going to die?" she asked.  
  
"You're not going anywhere," he replied harshly. He helped her to sit up so he could wrap the bandaged around her chest. She was incredibly pale and trembled violently. `Damn' he thought and in one swift movement brought his wrist to his mouth and tore it open with a sharp fang. He offered the wrist to her.  
  
"Here," he said. Her eyes widened and looked up at him frightened.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Drink it. You need the blood."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Do it!" he barked and tilted her head back and placed his bleeding wrist to her mouth. She made a face and pushed him away weakly.  
  
"It's gross," she complained. Inuyasha growled and forced her mouth back.  
  
"I know its gross but it'll keep you alive. Don't argue with me." She reluctantly complied. After a few minutes he let her lay back down and he deftly bandaged his own wrist. It would heal before the night was over.  
  
"It's so cold," Kagome said and curled into a ball on his bed. He looked down. The blankets were covered in blood, both hers and his, but he threw them over her shaking body anyway. He reached out a hand to her forehead. She was icy.  
  
"Hang on I'll get you some more blankets," he said and ran to the spare room at grabbed the blankets off the bed. When he returned Kagome was asleep. He gently placed the blankets over her. He sat by the bed and smoothed the hair away from her face. Her temperature was warmer now and she seemed to sleep peacefully. She was out of danger of dying now, he knew. His blood would replace that which she had lost and would speed her recovery. `She almost died,' he thought in shock and watch her breath in rapt fascination and relief. `Damn Sesshoumaru! That was too close!'  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome woke up, and found her shirt was shredded and in pieces on the floor. Bandages were wrapped around her chest, covering her modestly. But she was in Inuyasha's apartment and not wearing anything other than bandages. She looked around warily and hearing a banging coming from the kitchen, quickly slid out of the bed and into the bathroom. She washed her face and looked into the mirror. She could have sworn her face had been scratched in the fight yesterday but today there was no sign of it. She grabbed a robe from off a hook and headed out of the bathroom towards the kitchen. She found Inuyasha trying to figure out how to use the coffee maker. His hair was wet and fell damply down the back of his shirt to his waist. He wore a button-up white shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. Three huge boxes of donuts decorated the countertop behind him.  
  
"I don't drink coffee," she said and was rewarded when he spun around to face her. His face was twisted into an almost snarl but transformed into a surprised smile when he saw her. She jerked a thumb towards the boxes of donuts.  
  
"Don't you know how to cook anything?" She asked sarcastically. Inuyasha gave her a strange look and began opening the cabinets above his head.  
  
Ramen.  
  
Ramen.  
  
Ramen.  
  
Instant pudding, chocolate.  
  
Kagome began to laugh and leaned on the counter for support.  
  
"Okay, I get your point," she giggled. "Fast food is your thing."  
  
Inuyasha stared at her as she laughed. She looked almost perfect, with only the blood smell telling him of her wounds. She stood barefoot in his kitchen wearing his bathrobe. `She looks good in it,' he thought and then caught himself. `Whoa! Down boy!' Kagome's laughing died down and she crossed the kitchen to him and wrapped her arms around him.  
  
"Arigato," she said and smiled up at him. Inuyasha couldn't help it. He dropped his head to hers and buried his nose in her hair.  
  
"Kagome. . ." He could feel her shiver and he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "Are you okay?" he asked. Kagome dropped her arms from around him and he reluctantly let her go. She stepped away from him.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I musty have felt worse last night than I was. I'm sorry if I worried you."  
  
"Do you remember much?" He asked. She blushed.  
  
"You took care of me I remember that much at least. Thank you for that Inuyasha. And as your reward I am going to teach you something." Inuyasha looked at her warily.  
  
"What exactly are you going to teach me?"  
  
"I," She said grandly. "Am going to teach you how to cook." Inuyasha groaned dramatically.  
  
"I should have let Sesshoumaru have you. . ."  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome looked over at Inuyasha and suppressed a delighted giggle. He was covered in flour and chocolate and cookie dough and he was currently engaged in licking the remaining dough off of a spoon. He looked much less like a ferocious demon and much more like a child playing in the kitchen.  
  
"You see," she said. "I told you cookies were easy." He smiled at her and she took the opportunity to snatch the spoon out of his hands and give it a lick.  
  
"Hey!" He exclaimed and stood to give chase after her and his treat. He chased her around the kitchen for a second before catching and pinning her against the countertop.  
  
"Caught ya," he smirked. He looked down at her. She too, was messy from their kitchen adventures and she had a small smear of chocolate on the corner of her mouth. Kagome tilted her face up and Inuyasha leaned down slightly. "You have a little chocolate on your face," he and leaned so he lips were almost touching hers. "I should get that," he whispered.  
  
She tasted like chocolate and something sweeter. His tongue delicately traced her lips and his lips pressed lightly to hers before he pulled away. He ran his hand up her arm and fingered the line of her jaw before opening his eyes to look down at her.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered. She opened her eyes to look up at him.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"I shouldn't have-" she stopped him by pressing her fingers to his lips. He looked down at her sadly.  
  
"It's okay," Kagome reassured him. She smiled brilliantly and he smiled weakly in response. "I think it's about time I go home." Inuyasha watched her go back to his room and he dropped his head into his hands.  
  
`What the hell is wrong with me!' he thought. `She's a human and way younger than me and an innocent and I CAN'T drag her into this. What was I thinking kissing her? God! She's gonna hate me!'  
  
"Hey Inuyasha!" He looked up just as Kagome stuck her head out of his room. She blushed prettily. "Um, can I borrow a shirt? Mine kinda got a little. . ." Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Author's notes: Yeah, I know. Extreme fluffiness abounds. I can't help myself. 


	7. Mixed Blood

Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter seven: Mixed Blood  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: A great big thank you to Laz-chan for her help. Sorry about the long wait ya'll. School is getting in the way of my creative abilities. But Spring break is next week and my parents will be gone on vacation and my sister will be at school and I will set up camp around the computer! Waa hoo! Enjoy the chapter! -Senay  
  
  
  
Inuyasha winced slightly as Kagome pulled the bandages tight over a particularly sore spot on his ribs. He was sitting on her bed as she wrapped his cut and bruised chest. The youkai had almost sliced him in half, if he had been even the slightest bit slower . . . 'It would have been much worse than just me dying,' he thought and looked at the young woman with him. 'Kagome would have died too…"  
  
"Gomen," she murmured as she concentrated on her job. Inuyasha watched the top of her head as she wrapped his ribs. Her fingers were cool against his skin. He looked down at his own fingers. They looked like hers now, with their blunt nails and thin skin.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, trying to shake awake the girl who had fallen asleep on his back. He had been running for almost and hour and Kagome had succumbed to exhaustion a while ago. They had defeated another demon today and had gotten two large shards as their reward. But the demon's mate had gotten away and Inuyasha didn't have time to go after it. He looked up unhappily at the sky. It was new moon tonight.  
  
"Nani?" Kagome said sleepily. Her loose grip on him tightened slightly and she lifted her head to look around. "Where are we?"  
  
"We're almost back to the well," he replied. He slowed his pace and frowned at the setting sun. Damn. He was running out of time. He would have to hurry.  
  
* End Flashback *  
  
   
  
"It's okay," He said. Kagome stopped her bandaging and looked up at him angrily.  
  
"No it's not!" She said hotly. "Why do you always have to take the blows for me Inuyasha? You should have told me you were going to be human tonight! You could have been killed!" Inuyasha snatched her hand in the air and moved it out of the way.  
  
"We got the shards and I'm fine!" He insisted. "It's you who needs protecting! Do you want me to let you die? Because I sure as all hells don't!" Kagome stared at him open-mouthed and he looked down at his bandages. "These aren't even serious and I don't need bandaging so you can just leave me alone!" He stood up, effectively shedding his wrappings and re-opening a nasty gash. Kagome stood up also and reached out for him.  
  
"You get back here!" She insisted and grabbed his arm. He tried to shake her off but Kagome dug her fingernails into his skin and jerked him back to her. "I'm not finished with you yet!" she said but then realized her mistake. She had knocked Inuyasha off his balance and as he fell towards her she forgot to loose his arm. They fell on the bed with a crash, with Inuyasha lying on top of Kagome. He winced as they hit and then glared down at her. His violet eyes flashes with irritation.  
  
"Are you happy now?" He demanded. Kagome glared up at him.  
  
"You started it!"  
  
"Me!"  
  
"Yes you! With your 'I'm so macho' attitude! Honestly you act like such a child!"  
  
"I'm five fucking centuries old. I am not a child!" he growled and Kagome scowled up on him She struggled to get up but he pinned her down.  
  
"Inuyasha you're still laying on me," She said annoyed.  
  
"I know that," He said and his expression softened.  
  
"Aren't you going to get up?" She asked  
  
"No," he said quietly. He sighed and leaned down to press his forehead to hers. "Kagome, I couldn't just sit by and let you be hurt. You're too important to the quest and to me . . ." he opened his eyes. Her eyes glittered with tears and his breath caught in his throat. "Oh, Kagome I'm sorry!" He started to get up but Kagome grabbed him and wrapped her arms around his chest and buried her face in his shoulder. His dark hair spilled around them on the bed.  
  
"No, I'm sorry," she mumbled into his chest. Inuyasha slowly sat up, bringing her with him so that she straddled his waist. He wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her up and delicately stroked her hair with his other hand. "I just worry that's all," she said. "I don't want you to die . . ." Inuyasha snorted and she looked up at him.  
  
"I haven't lived this long to die now Kagome," he said and wiped the tears off her face. Kagome smiled at him.  
  
"I know but-" He cut off whatever it was she was going to say by pressing his lips to hers. Kagome sighed happily and kissed him back. She squeezed him hard and Inuyasha emitted a small grunt of pain. Kagome broke away from him to look down at his wounds. There was blood on his chest and hers.  
  
"Inuyasha you're bleeding again!" She accused and looked up at him. He smiled at her regretfully.  
  
"Yeah, maybe now isn't the time for this," he said and pulled away. "Sometime when I'm not a weak human." Kagome climbed off of him and Inuyasha reached for his shirt.  
  
"Hang on you're not going anywhere," Kagome announced. Inuyasha stopped with one arm in his sleeve and turned to look at her. "It's already really late," She gestured towards the clock on her desk which read sometime in the early morning, almost daylight. "And since you're human I'm going to finish bandaging those and then you are going to stay here," she said. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her. "In the guest room," she specified. Inuyasha made a sound of resigned patience and sat back down on the bed for Kagome to finish cleaning and binding his wounds. Then he followed her to the spare bedroom where he was supposed to sleep.  
  
"This is Sota's old room," she said and switched on the light to reveal a small, plainly decorated room. "He still sleeps in here when he comes to visit me. The bathroom is through there and if you need anything I'm right down the hall." Inuyasha stood with her in the doorway and when she turned to leave he stopped her gently and reached out to cup her cheek. Kagome looked up into his beautiful, dark eyes and her breath caught. He dropped a feather-light kiss on her lips and stroked his thumb over her cheekbone.  
  
"Oyasumi nasai Kagome," he said. She blushed prettily.  
  
"Oyasumi Inuyasha." Inuyasha watched her walk down the hall to her room before sighing heavily and going into his room and closing the door behind him. He laid down on the bed and stared up at the unadorned ceiling. Kagome had found out his secret tonight.  
  
*Flash back *  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. They were at the well, they had almost made it, but the mate of the demon they had slain earlier was waiting for them. Inuyasha ignored the pain from his wounds and focused on keeping himself between Kagome and their enemy. He cast a quick glance in the direction of the sun. He had only seconds. Drawing the Tetsusaiga, he watched it transform into the mighty fang of his father. He brought it down across the demon's torso and watched in relief as it screamed and exploded into dust, before falling to the ground himself.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled again and ran to his side. He looked up at her and she gasped. His eyes were violet. She tangled her fingers in his hair and cupped his cheek. The silver strands between her fingers streaked with black before solidifying into a dark mass. Inuyasha watched her in completely vulnerability, but unable to take his eyes off her face. After the transformation was completely done Kagome began speaking. "Inuyasha," she said softly. "What happened to you? You look like you did when I first met you. You look… Human." He flinched slightly and hung his head, hiding his face with his hair.  
  
"I am human," he said.  
  
"What?" Kagome breathed. Inuyasha looked up slightly.  
  
"I'm a hanyou Kagome. That means I have human blood. I was going to tell you but-" He stopped and again hid his face, but not before Kagome saw the look of pain cross his face. "I'm a half-breed Kagome. A Mutt. I didn't want you to know you were friends with a freak…"  
  
"But I've always known you were a hanyou," she said quietly. "It never mattered to me."  
  
"But you'de never seen what I am!" he said. He looked down at his hands. "My blood is tainted. I'm neither human nor Youkai. 'And I've given my blood to you . . . Oh Kagome, what have I done to you?' And now I'm weak. I was rushing back because I was scared. I can barely protect myself when I'm like this much less you. If I hadn't killed that demon when I did . . ."  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome said sternly. He looked up at her. She took his hand and interlaced their fingers. She turned them to see the differences. He tightened his grip and she smiled up at him. "I care about you for who you are.  Not because you're faster than a speeding bullet," he smiled at her. "Or can leap tall buildings in a single bound," she laughed and stood up, pulling him with her by their linked hands. She took his other hand and linked those fingers.  "I care about you because you're you."  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome opened the door to find her younger brother Sota on the other side. He took in her appearance and looked down at his watch. "What have you been doing? It's almost 1 o' clock in the afternoon and you look like you just crawled out of bed."  
  
"Kagome?" Sota's eyes widened and he looked behind his sister to see Inuyasha stumble into the kitchen, minus his shirt and with his long silver hair tousled by sleep. He had taken the bandages off and there was no sign of the wounds from the day before.  
  
"K-Kagome," poor Sota stuttered, his eyes wide in terror. "Th-that's a d- demon!" Sota stumbled and began to back up out of the kitchen. Inuyasha's eyes met his and his ears flicked. Sota's mouth flopped open.  
  
"Kuso," Inuyasha cursed and dodged around Kagome to grab the younger boy's collar and drag him into the kitchen. He slammed the door behind him. "What are you doing here!" he demanded of the terror-stricken boy. Sota could only gasp in surprise and fear.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled and grabbed Sota away from him. "What do you think you're doing? You've scared him half too death!" Inuyasha flattened his ears against his skull at the tone of her voice.  
  
"Ka-Kagome," Sota tried to force out. "D-demon!" Kagome looked carefully at Inuyasha taking in his fierce yellow eyes and angrily pivoting ears.  
  
"Oh," She said. She pulled Sota out from behind her. "Sota, go sit down please. Inuyasha?"  
  
"What?" the scowling hanyou asked.  
  
"Go put on a shirt." He looked down.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"That's Inuyasha?" Sota asked after Inuyasha had left for the guestroom.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened to him?" Kagome sighed.  
  
"Nothing happened to him. He's a demon." Sota looked up at her angrily.  
  
"You're sleeping with a demon!"  
  
"Sota!" Kagome exclaimed, shocked at his accusation, even if it was almost true. "What are you thinking!" Sota stood up and began to pace across the kitchen floor.  
  
"What am I supposed to think?" He demanded. "I come over to visit you and you look like you just got out of bed and then a half-naked demon shows up behind you! Jeez Kagome! You're a Miko for goodness sakes! What are you doing associating with demons?" He glared at Kagome as she watched him in shock from the kitchen table.  
  
"Sit down boy," Inuyasha said as he re-entered the kitchen. Sota glared at him malevolently for a second before wilting and sitting back down in his seat. Inuyasha moved to stand over him but looked to the woman across the table. "Kagome, let me erase his memory. We'll stick him back outside and he won't remember a thing." Kagome slowly shook her head.  
  
"No, Inuyasha that wouldn't be right. I'm going to tell him and then trust him to keep quiet about it. Okay?" Inuyasha grumbled but nevertheless sat down on a cushion next to her and watched the boy.  
  
Author's notes: I was in history class (which normally I like the class but it was boring that day) and I had this great image pop into my head of the 'morning after' scene and poor sota not even able to form a coherent sentence for fear. I had to get up and leave the class room so I could laugh. It was just so funny! My story just doesn't do justice to the picture in my head. 


	8. Mamoru

Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter Eight: Mamoru  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: Mamoru means to protect and to keep promises. I thought it an appropriate title for this chapter. Now I have read this chapter at least thirty times so if it is confusing, be sure to let me know and I'll fix it. I forget sometimes that people aren't in my mind too  
  
  
  
"Wow!" Inuyasha heard Kagome say above him. He glanced back to see her standing on top of a huge boulder behind him. She was looking out at the view from the mountainside they had just climbed. He looked at her curiously.  
  
"How did you get up there?" he asked. She smiled down at him and indicated the other side of the boulder.  
  
"There's a slope up the other side. I was able to climb up," she said, but then frowned at the path she had taken up. She bit her lip and looked back at Inuyasha sheepishly. "But uh, I don't think I can get down . . ." He laughed at her unintentional one-sided trip and held out his arms.  
  
"Jump," he said. Kagome's eyes widened.  
  
"Can't you come get me?" she asked fearfully. He shook his head.  
  
"Nope, you got yourself up there you can get yourself down. Don't worry, I'll catch you." Kagome moved to the edge of the rock nervously and swung her legs over the edge. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and leapt off the rock.  
  
Inuyasha jumped into the air and caught her mid way. His arms wrapped around her and the landed softly on the ground. He then picked her up and swung her around in a circle and she laughed cheerfully. She looked up at him happily.  
  
"That was fun," she said. "Let's do it again." She pulled herself up against him and pressed her lips to his. Inuyasha pulled her off the ground and tightly against him. He threaded his fingers through her hair and forcefully took her mouth. Kagome moaned softly and whispered his name, "Inuyasha . . ." he pulled back slightly and kissed her jaw before moving on to her neck. He paused there and Kagome could feel his warm, damp breath on her skin.  
  
Inuyasha's heart was beating loudly in his ears and he fought the urge to kiss Kagome breathless and . . . he blushed at the train his thoughts were currently on. He was effectively distracted when a sound beyond his own rushing blood came to his ears. He quickly set Kagome down, but still keeping a hold on her, while his ears cocked forward. Kagome looked up at him in confusion.  
  
"What?" she asked, but before he could answer the ground beneath them shook. Inuyasha growled and quickly placed Kagome behind him. They waited tensely as the pounding sound grew louder accompanied with several small earth shakings. Both Inuyasha and Kagome watched in horror as a monstrous Ogre rose over the nearby ridge. It roared hideously and Kagome hid her head in the back of Inuyasha's haori. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he noticed the figure riding on the shoulder of the Ogre accompanied by his disgusting retainer Jaken. Inuyasha growled, "Sesshoumaru . . ."  
  
&&&  
  
  
  
Inuyasha lowered himself to the ground in front of the well and Kagome knelt next to him. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and Inuyasha winced at the sight of the bloody gash on her forehead. He hadn't been fast enough to prevent it. She smiled weakly at him.  
  
"We'll be home soon Inuyasha," She assured him. "I'll get you fixed up." He frowned.  
  
"You're hurt too, Kagome," he said but she shook her head. "I'll kill him for it. Don't worry."  
  
"It's my fault Inuyasha," She said softly. " You told me before how dangerous Sesshoumaru was but I didn't listen to you. If I hadn't messed with him you wouldn't have gotten hurt-" He snatched her to him and clutched her tightly. Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said into his chest. He puled back and cupped the side of her face and kissed her softly.  
  
"Shh… It's okay, nothing's your fault…" he stroked his thumb over her cheekbone and kissed the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Shh… Don't cry."  
  
"Inuyasha, I'm scared. You could have died. And now Sesshoumaru has the Tetsusaiga and the shards . . ." She clutched the front of his haori in her fists and hid her face in his shoulder.  
  
"Hey," he said and lifted her face to his. "Hey, I'm not going to die. I've lived a long time remember? He hugged her and she wrapped her arms back around him.  
  
"You promise?" she whispered.  
  
"Promise what?" he asked softly.  
  
"You promise you won't die? He was silent and she tightened her grip on him. "Inuyasha please…" she begged.  
  
"I promise," he said finally. She sighed and relaxed slightly. They held each other for a few minutes before Kagome climbed off of him.  
  
"Thank you." He laboriously pulled himself to his feet and stood next to the well as Kagome sat on its edge. She looked back at him, concerned.  
  
"You go ahead," He said. "I'll be right after you." She looked like she wanted to protest but then stopped and nodded and slid over the edge of the well. Inuyasha watched her fall into the darkness.  
  
"Aishiteru Kagome," he said very softly. "But I can't let you distract me from what I have to do." He looked down at the remaining shard he had managed to take off of her. Kagome would be unable to use the well without it. "You'll be safe in the future," he said and turned and began slowly limping back towards the village.  
  
&&&  
  
"Inuyasha," Kaede said carefully as she tended his healing wounds. "Do you think it was a good idea to send Kagome away? You seem to fight better when she is here." He growled softly.  
  
"I know that," he said moodily and winced as the sting of the herbs bit into his back and made him twitch. "Ow! You witch that burns!" he grumped at Kaede. The young woman gave him a look through her one eye and promptly brought her hand down hard on his exposed back. Inuyasha screeched and rolled away from her snarling. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded. Kaede glared at him.  
  
"You sent her there yourself Inuyasha so stop sulking," she said harshly. "And if you don't stop acting like a spoiled child I will leave you without my help and you can face your brother alone. I don't think you'll live if you take him on with these injuries and I do not fancy Kagome-sama finding a way back here only to find you dead and me responsible. Now lay down and shut your mouth." Inuyasha gave her his best half-demon scowl but obediently lay back down on the futon.  
  
"How long until they heal?" he demanded. Kaede frowned thoughtfully at his wounds.  
  
"I do not know," she admitted. "It would normally only take a couple of days, but your brother's poison is in your blood now and must be filtered out. Also, Kagome isn't here and you heal less quickly when her powers are not assisting mine."  
  
"It can't be helped," he said shortly. "I will not have Kagome in danger." 'I will not have another woman die in my arms.'  
  
"You didn't tell her what you're going to do did you?" Kaede asked.  
  
"No," Inuyasha said. Kaede frowned.  
  
"Why? She will already be worried, if not frantic about your disappearance. Are you sure the absence of the Shikon no Kakera is enough to keep her in the future?"  
  
"She cannot come here without the remaining shard," Inuyasha said firmly. He looked over his shoulder at Kaede. "Aren't you done yet?" he demanded.  
  
"Almost," Kaede said softly, concentrating on her work. After a moment she capped the salve and stood. "There." Inuyasha stood and reached for his shirt, wincing at the pain the action caused.  
  
"Inuyasha?" He turned.  
  
"Aa?"  
  
"Are you going back after you're done with Sesshoumaru? To Kagome?"  
  
"I hope so."  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome stood by the well for ten minutes before she decided something had happened and she jumped back in. She hit the bottom hard and cried out as her new bruises caused her eyes to water. She looked up frantically, only to see the well house roof. She then quite thoroughly began to panic.  
  
"No," she rasped. "No! Don't do this to me! No!" she fell to her knees in the soft dirt that filled the bottom of the well. She clawed her hands in the soil and flung it away. "Let me through, please. Inuyasha!" she dug until the tips of her fingers were bloody and tears streaked down her face. She stopped slowly. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned forward to press her forehead against the ground in front of her. "Please," she sobbed into the dirt. "Please. I need him. I love him. Inuyasha . . ." she looked up and placed her palms of the cold, unyielding stones that formed the sides of the well. "Please…come back."  
  
  
  
Author's notes: Too confusing for anyone? 


	9. Return To Me

1 Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter nine: Return To Me  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: Um, there's a wee bit o' limey-ness in this chapter so consider yourself warned. B e sure to let me know if you think the rating should move up. –Senay  
  
  
  
Inuyasha stood on the steps to his brother's palace. Sesshoumaru stood in the grand entrance doorway, holding the Tetsusaiga in his left hand. He wore the shards on a jeweled necklace around his neck. Their aura pulsed darkly.  
  
"Where is your wench Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked. "Did she die from her wounds? Humans are so very…" he smiled sadistically. "Fragile. A pity, she looked so much like that other one I killed. She would have been fun to . . . well compare with the other." Inuyasha growled loudly and began slowly walking up the stairs.  
  
  
  
&&&  
  
  
  
Kagome walked into Inuyasha's apartment. Everything was where he had left it last. It was clean, but there were small things he had left out. Her spare pair of reading glasses were on his coffee table along with the new book he had bought to show her. The leather bookmark poked out near the middle of its pages.  
  
(Flashback)  
  
They were lying on the couch, with their heads at opposite ends, each reading their own book. She was getting tired and when her eyes began no droop Inuyasha took the book away from her.  
  
"But I want to know what happens!" She protested. He smiled at her.  
  
"You're about to fall asleep," he said and put the book on the couch-side table behind his head. She didn't grace him with a reply and instead crawled over him to grab back her book. She looked down at him under her after she had snatched up her novel.  
  
"Never get between a girl and her book," she told him. He raised an eyebrow with a look of superior amusement that quickly turned into a blush as she simply plopped down in her current position on his chest and handed him the book. "Read," she commanded. She pillowed her head on his chest and waiting for him to begin to read aloud. He moved one arm from under her and wrapped it around her waist. His soft, yet rough voice lulled her to sleep with it's narrative.  
  
(End Flashback)  
  
Kagome stared at the now empty apartment and fought back another wave of tears. She had woken up in her own bed after spending the time at Inuyasha's apartment and she had wondered whether she had dreamed it. But the presence of the book on the table brought it all back full force and she could again feel the warm contentment that had washed through her simply be being near him.  
  
  
  
She was still muddy from the well bottom and she had forgotten to take off her shoes when she walked in. There was a trail of footprints that showed her movements through the apartment. She walked into the bathroom and shucked her filthy clothing. They fell limply to the floor before she stepped into the shower. The water was almost scalding hot, but she welcomed the heat after the cold outside. She grabbed a loose shirt hanging from the back of the bathroom door and tugged it on. She walked back out and stood outside Inuyasha's bedroom door. The bed inside was unmade, as if he had been in a hurry to leave and had forgotten to fix it. Kagome walked into the bedroom and crawled under the smooth, warm covers. She buried her head into a pillow and gradually fell asleep.  
  
&&&  
  
Inuyasha jumped from the bottom of the well and landed rather roughly on the dirt floor just outside it. His fantasies of Kagome waiting to throw herself into his arms disappeared with the sight of the empty well house. In that moment Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to see her, to hold her body close to his and breath in her scent. He wanted desperately to touch her face and know she was alive, and safe. But her scent was old and the main house was dark. She wasn't home. He held a hand to his chest over the spot where he hadn't been quite fast enough and Sesshoumaru had impaled him. He scowled at the cold rain and reluctantly stepped out in it before slowly making his way back to his apartment.  
  
Inuyasha opened the door to his bedroom and was surprised to find a girl asleep in it. Kagome lay curled up on her side in the center of his bed. She had kicked off the covers and they lay in a heap at her feet. He looked at her closely and noticed she was wearing one of his shirts. She whimpered in her sleep and he reached out to stroke her face.  
  
"Kagome," he rasped.  
  
"Inuyasha," she murmured. Her eyes slid open. "Inuyasha!" she cried and threw her arms around him. "You're here!" She kissed him hard and threaded her fingers through his hair. "Baka! I thought you were dead!" She kissed him again and a tear slipped unto her cheek. "Don't leave me again, please" she begged.  
  
"I won't leave again I promise," he said huskily. He kissed her back fiercely and pulled her roughly to him. She felt so good in his arms, soft. Her mouth was sweet against his and he nipped at her lips. Her scent was overwhelming him and he basked in it. He purred at the feeling of her body against his and her fingers on his skin. He looked up, breathing hard and took in the site of Kagome lying breathless beneath him. The shirt unbuttoned and her breasts bared. He leaned down to kiss them before trailing wet kisses up her collarbone and neck to her mouth. He kissed her lingeringly before leaning his forehead against hers and closing his eyes.  
  
"Kagome . . .I love you," he whispered. He buried his face in her neck and breathed deeply. "And I missed you."  
  
"I missed you, too."  
  
&&&  
  
She was gone when he woke up. Inuyasha reached out for her body and when his hand encountered nothing he sat up to look around for her. It was still raining. He could hear the wet drops hit the windows in the living room and could see the filtered light that streamed through the open bedroom door. He sighed and got out of bed. He snagged a pair of shorts off the floor and tugged them on before going out.  
  
Kagome stood next to the giant windows in the main room of the apartment. She still wore his shirt and her expression was one of quiet contentment as she watched the rain splash against the window and then fall the long distance to the ground. Inuyasha stood behind her and ran his hands under the hem of his shirt to rest on her hips. She shivered at his touch. He leaned down to kiss the part of her shoulder the loose fabric revealed.  
  
"Aren't you cold?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Kagome leaned her head back against his shoulder and he nuzzled her exposed throat.  
  
"A little," she admitted. He kissed his way up her neck to her ear.  
  
"Come back to bed," he whispered.  
  
Author's notes: I LOVE the window scene! * sighs * 


	10. Returnings

Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter 10: Returnings  
  
Disclaimer: I own Nothing! FEY!  
  
Author's notes: (Senay comes out of hiding.) okay here's the thing. I have almost a week's worth of free time before I get my grades back, face the music and leave the country (I'm serious!). So I'm trying to get out updates because I won't have computer access for a long time after this. I'm sorry about the long wait on Modan Jidai but I hope to have this update and then another before the week is out. -Senay  
  
  
  
Kagome adjusted the straps on her backpack and watched Inuyasha as he walked in front of her towards the village. Kaede walked out of her hut to meet them.  
  
"Keade-chan!" Kagome called and ran to give the woman a hug. Keade smiled brilliantly at her and sighed.  
  
"I am glad to see you both safe," She said and nodded her head at Inuyasha. "After Inuyasha left, I didn't know what had happened. Do you have the shards of the Shikon no Tama?" Kagome nodded and pulled the chain from around her neck to show the large, nearly perfect sphere. Only a small piece was missing and both Kagome and Inuyasha were confident they would find it soon. Keade invited them into her hut for the morning meal but Inuyasha stopped Kagome before she could enter.  
  
"Kagome, I need to do something today," he said. "It should take a couple of hours but I'll be back before sunset. Stay here with Kaede okay? And run for the well if there's any trouble." Kagome gave him a questioning smile.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close enough so he could touch his nose to hers.  
  
"I can't tell you," he whispered playfully. "It's a surprise." Kagome pouted and Inuyasha gave her a sexy grin and released her. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can," he said and turned to leave.  
  
"Hey you!" She called. He turned back to her and Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck. "Kiss me goodbye." She pulled his head down to hers and pressed her lips firmly to his. The kiss was chaste for all of two seconds before Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him hard. The passion of the nights before was still fresh in their minds and when they pulled apart fire crackled between them.  
  
"Mm," Inuyasha gulped and slowly set Kagome back down on the ground. "I'll see you tonight." Kagome watched him run off until he reached the tree line and disappeared into the canopy. She sighed and turned to go into Kaede's hut.  
  
&&&  
  
Inuyasha ran for nearly an hour before coming to his destination. A burnt out old shack was all that was left of his childhood home. The remaining walls sagged and the wood was rotten. It would soon collapse entirely he knew. Making his way slowly to a large tree beside the wreckage, Inuyasha knelt in front of it and bowed his head.  
  
"Ofukuro…" This area in modern day Tokyo was a popular park and this tree still stood there. He had visited it many times. Smiling slightly, Inuyasha stood and walked around to the other side of the tree to see the marked carved in it. In clumsy, first attempt letters were the kanji that spelled his name, along with an equally messy self-portrait. This carving had grown and stretched to such a point that it was unrecognizable in his time. He had almost forgotten about it. 'That's right,' Inuyasha thought suddenly. 'It has only been a few years here since mother and Kikyo's deaths. If it has only been 10 years since Kikyo's death then I'm only 25 or 26 years old.' He snorted at the thought, having long ago gotten used to the idea of being centuries old. 'I'm still just a pup.' He reached out to run his fingers over the carving one more time before turning and running back into the woods. There were still other places he had to be today.  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome carefully examined the leaves of the plant and once she was satisfied it was indeed the herb she was looking for she removed the bright yellow blossoms and placed them in her basket. After spending most of the day with Kaede the village priestess had suggested that she and Kagome gather herbs in the forest before Inuyasha's return at sunset. Kagome was glad for the distraction. Spotting the other woman off to her left, She called out and stood to run over.  
  
"Kaede-chan are these the right kind?" She asked indicating the various small leaves, blossoms and curls of peeled bark she had collected. Kaede searched through her finding and made a sound of delight when she came across a purple leave that Kagome had picked up for it's beauty and added it to the pile.  
  
"Where did you get this?" Kaede asked, holding the leaf between her thumb and forefinger.  
  
"I found it on a bush over there," Kagome said, pointing. "Why? Is it special?" Kaede nodded and smiled at the younger girl.  
  
"I ran out last season and hadn't been able to find more. This plant is wonderful for relieving menstrual cramps and the village women really appreciate it when I can gather any," Kaede said.  
  
"Here, let me show you where it was," Kagome said but Kaede shook her head. "No, that's all right. It's getting late and you've already been a big help, but Inuyasha will be back soon and I know he will want to see you as soon as he does." Kagome raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Do you know anything about this surprise he spoke about this morning?" she asked. Kaede said she didn't and Kagome shrugged and turned to walk back to the village. She was half way there when she saw a flash of red in a tree before the figure jumped to the ground facing away from her. Kagome grinned and ran to see her lover.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called. He whirled, snarling, but then stopped to look at her strangely. "When did you get back?" Kagome asked. "Kaede and I were out in the forest." She leaned up to kiss him and he jumped away to land on all fours a dozen feet away from her. Kagome looked at him, confused and he heaved a ragged breath. His eyes were incredibly wide and he looked like he had just seen a ghost.  
  
"Kikyo . . ." he whispered and then his brows slammed down and he growled. Kagome stared at him like he had grown another head.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" she demanded and took a step towards him. He took a step away.  
  
"Who are you?" He snarled. "You're not her!" Kagome blinked in surprise.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean who are you!" he yelled. "You look like Kikyo but different. You can't be Keade!" Kagome stomped and glared at him.  
  
"Of course I'm not Keade! Inuyasha what are you playing? I'm not Kikyo and I'm not Kaede! I'm Kagome! Ka-Go-Me!" But by now Inuyasha had stood and a strangely calm expression took over his face.  
  
"I want you to tell me who you are," he said quietly. His eyes met hers and Kagome gasped and took a step back. He was in front of her in an instant and locked his hands around her upper arms to shake her. "TELL ME!" he yelled. Kagome opened to mouth to speak but found her voice paralyzed in terror. She quickly slammed her eyes shut when she saw Inuyasha raise a clawed hand to hit her.  
  
  
  
Author's notes: Okay just to clear some things up that you may have forgotten. Inuyasha is almost 500 years old in Kagome's time. However his 25-year-old self is still wandering around the Sengoku Jidai. Yeah, I know, nothing much really happened in this chapter, that's because this is a third of what this chapter was supposed to encompass. That's because it got to be too big and it was a fairly good place to stop. I promise an update really soon. I'm even going now to work on it. 


	11. Dopplegangland

Fic: Modan Jidai  
  
Chapter 11: Dopplegangland  
  
1 Disclaimer: I own nothing! FEH!  
  
  
  
Author's notes: Egads! I thought I was NEVER gonna finish this chapter! All right! We're almost done. This is basically the last chapter and then there will be an epilogue. I hope you guys liked the story! -Senay  
  
Kagome slammed her eyes shut and waited for the blow. Instead she heard a fierce shout and the sound of one body slamming into another. She quickly opened her eyes to see what had happened.  
  
When Inuyasha had arrived back at the village the villagers had told him that Kagome and Kaede had left into the forest to find herbs. He left his box near Kaede's hut and loped into the woods to find them. When he came upon Kagome and the demon he quickly decided that attack now, ask questions later would be the way to go.  
  
Inuyasha bodily slammed into the dog demon, knocking him a few dozen feet away where he lay still, stunned. Inuyasha then stood in front of the terrified Kagome snarling at the other youkai.  
  
"You all right koi?" he asked Kagome without looking at her. She surprised him when she threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his waist, crying hard. "Kagome?" he said softly and looked down at her.  
  
"I thought… I thought he was you," she cried. Inuyasha made a confused sound and Kagome looked up at his face just as his attention was drawn to the other demon. Her dog-demon's eyes widened as he took in the sight of his twin snarling as he pulled himself from the ground. The doppelganger stopped in surprise when his angry gaze fell on Inuyasha.  
  
"What the hell is going on?!" he demanded. "Who are you?!" Suddenly everything clicked in the older hanyou's head.  
  
"I'm… I'm you," Inuyasha stumbled.  
  
&&&  
  
"This is ridiculous," the younger hanyou said as he followed Inuyasha and Kagome back to the village. "You're saying you're both from the future and that you're me. If you're me then why were you so surprised to see me? Shouldn't you have remembered being here?" Inuyasha ignored his younger self's ramblings and turned instead to Kagome. She had wrapped her arms around herself. The sun was setting lower in the sky and the air was cooling off quickly.  
  
"Here," he took his haori off and swung it around her shoulders. "You're shivering. I'll be the Inuyasha in white." She slipped her arms through the sleeves and tied it around her.  
  
"Thanks." Her eyes met his and she abruptly hugged him. "Just a little shook up ya know?" He smiled down at her.  
  
"Yeah. Why don't you go see Kaede and I'll deal with this, okay?" Kagome nodded and clutching her basket to her chest, jogged toward the young priestess' hut.  
  
Both hanyous watched her go. Inuyasha looked behind him at the twenty- something year old hanyou watching Kagome. "Come on," he said. "I know why you're here."  
  
&&&  
  
The younger Inuyasha knelt by the gravestone and used one finger to trace the engraved Kanji that spelled Kikyo's name. He pulled a small bundle of flowers from within his coat and placed them on the grave. His older self watched him sadly.  
  
"Sesshoumaru attacked while I was away," he said. The boy looked up at him, pain etched on his face. "He must have smelled me near Kikyo and attacked so fast she confused him for me. She thought we had betrayed her for the Shikon no Tama and that's why she attacked us. It wasn't until a couple of days ago that I found out."  
  
"I'm going to erase your memory so you'll never remember us," Inuyasha told him. "That must be why I don't remember this." The younger hanyou nodded his head.  
  
"That's probably what's best," he said. He reached inside his haori and took out something shiny. He tossed it at Inuyasha and the future demon caught it. Inuyasha opened his hand to see the last remaining shard.  
  
"What?" he asked confused. The boy shrugged.  
  
"I found that a couple of days ago. That's why I came here, and then I ran into her-" here he jerked his thumb in Kagome's direction. "And saw she had the rest of them. I'm not going to ask how it happened-"  
  
"Good," Inuyasha said and tucked the shard into a pocket of his white undershirt. "Because you probably don't want to know." The boy nodded and then his gaze was drawn to the box Inuyasha kept by his side.  
  
"Mother's box," he said reverently. "I never thought I would use those," he said. Inuyasha smiled.  
  
"I know." He watched his young lover Kagome as she stood next to Kaede's hut speaking seriously to the other young woman. "But you'll get used to the idea."  
  
&&&  
  
Kagome sat on the couch at Inuyasha's apartment calmly sipping her tea. The completed Shikon no Tama lay in all of its sparkling glory on the coffee table in front of her. She watched it warily. Inuyasha had spoken with his younger self for almost an hour before they both ran off into the woods and then he returned alone. He said he had erased the past several days worth of the boy's memory and that he would have no memory of the split Shikon no Tama or them. He then told Kaede that the boy would probably show up at Kikyo's grave soon and not to bother him when he did.  
  
Inuyasha had left Kagome in the living room a few minutes ago and gone to open that package he had been so mysterious about all day. She had asked about it once or twice but each time he would smile knowingly and change the subject. She heard a door open and turned around to see Inuyasha come back into the room.  
  
He carefully carried a large, lidded ivory box. The ivory was very old and had yellowed. Inuyasha held it out to her and opened the lid. A solid silver necklace and bracelet were nestled in the velvet inside. The bracelet had an onyx-like black stone embedded in its center and the necklace a white one. The bands were simply decorated but were otherwise plain.  
  
"What are they?" Kagome asked and reached out a hand to touch one shining stone. "They're beautiful." Inuyasha looked down at her, his eyes filled with painful hope.  
  
"They are mating stones," he said quietly. Kagome looked up at him in surprise. He blushed slightly and indicated the jewelry. "This is the female's," he said and touched the necklace with it's cloudy white stone. "And this is the male's." He touched the black stone in the bracelet.  
  
"Mating stones?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha carefully set the box down.  
  
"You wear them to show you are married," he said quietly and looked at her. Kagome reached out to touch his face.  
  
"Inuyasha . . ." he took her hand in his and interlaced their fingers.  
  
"These carry much more significance than a wedding ring Kagome. Once put on they cannot be taken off until one or the other dies. Only a demon can create the stones and they carry bits of his soul in them. To bind him to his mate." Inuyasha let go of her and reached over and picked up the silver necklace. The stone within it flashed clear and something inside of it sparkled beautifully before clouding back over. He held the necklace between them.  
  
"Kagome I . . .I wanted to ask you if you would wear this." 'Oh please let her say yes. Onegai Kami-sama . . .' He looked up to see her eyes full of tears. "Would you?" he asked. Kagome sniffled and a tear leaked out of her eye. She didn't trust her voice to speak and instead nodded vigorously. Inuyasha gave a relieved laugh and Kagome threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. He pulled away and helped her to put the necklace on. It fit comfortably and made a resounding click as it attached. The smooth metal was surprisingly warm against the skin of her throat. Kagome reached out for the bracelet and Inuyasha held out his left wrist. The black stone flashed as it clasped and Kagome gasped with the feelings of joy that ran through her.  
  
"The stones are alive in a sense," he said and reached out to touch his. He smiled at Kagome. "They are glad we're together." Kagome hugged him tightly and he buried his face in her hair. 'Arigato Kami-sama . . ."  
  
Author's notes: MUCH MUCH thanks to by editor Tophat. Also thanks to all of my reviewers who have nagged me into working. 


	12. Worlds Shaken

Modan Jidai Epilogue: Worlds Shaken Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! FEH!  
  
Author's notes: Ano. I have a 1500 word researched essay due in two days and I haven't even started the research yet. So, of course, I procrastinate until the very last minute and write like mad on other things. : ) I have such awful habits. I hope you enjoy!  
Kagome sat on the living room floor in front of the coffee table. Various wedding guides and references and samples were strewn about around her and covered the table. She sighed and ran a hand through her already tousled hair and picked up a book with invitation designs in it. 'We should have eloped.'  
  
"Kagome-chan you want some cookies?" the offer came from the kitchen. Kagome quietly chuckled. She hadn't had time to teach him how to cook anything else. And he claimed he had good memories with cookie making . . . She was still looking off into dream land, remembering moments with her lover when the room began violently shaking.  
  
"What?" Kagome cried and placed her hands on the floor in front of her to keep herself upright. "An Earthquake?!"  
  
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he ran from the kitchen, falling against the doorway when there was a particularly violent shift. A book fell in front of Kagome and she turned in time to see all the books beginning to fall off their shelves. She put her hands over her head to protect herself and then a second later felt Inuyasha's body slam into hers and roll her out of the way of the heavy wooden bookcase as it crashed to where she had been. She wrapped her arms around him from the floor and buried her face in his shoulder, clinging tightly until the earth finally quit shaking and was still. Inuyasha drew back slightly and kissed Kagome's cheek and forehead.  
  
"Are you okay?" he breathed. She was still trembling but managed a shaky nod. Still breathing hard, Inuyasha wormed his hands under her back and picked her up to hold her against him like a child. Kagome's legs straddled his and he held her head to his chest as he slowly surveyed the damage. All of the huge windows that made up the one wall of the living room were cracked. Some in several places. The one bookshelf had fallen over and all the books were strewn across the floor. Everything else just seemed slightly out of place. The painting of Inuyasha's mother was askew on the wall and the couch and coffee table had rattled across the carpeting until they were touching each other.  
  
Kagome sat up more and turned to look at the damage herself.  
  
"Wow," she breathed. "It broke all the windows . . ."  
  
"We'll get them replaced," Inuyasha assured her and bringing his legs under him to stand and taking Kagome with him. He sat them both down on the couch with Kagome in his lap. His arms slid down her arms and came to rest on her lower stomach. "Are you sure you're both okay?" He asked. Kagome nodded absently before her head whipped around and she stared at him wide eyed. Abruptly she wrenched out of his embrace and hit him hard in the arm.  
  
"You knew!" she accused. "All this time I've been trying to figure out how to tell you and you knew!" Inuyasha laughed and pulled her back into his arms despite her struggling.  
  
"Yes, I knew," he chuckled as Kagome huffed. "I probably knew before you did, but I thought you might want to tell me." His mate made a sound of outraged frustration and promptly hit the hanyou on the head with a couch pillow. Inuyasha took that as an act of war and promptly pinned her to the couch to tickle her until she screamed. The earthquake was forgotten as they both played together until they were out of breath and lay lethargic on the couch. Inuyasha lay to one side of her and traced the skin just above her necklace while Kagome sighed and closed her eyes.  
  
"So what do you think?" she asked quietly, still not opening her eyes. "About me being pregnant? I've been putting off telling you because I couldn't figure out how." Inuyasha made a warm sound of contentment and rolled her over so she was lying on her side facing him. He gently stroked her cheek and coaxed her eyes to open.  
  
"I think-" he kissed her forehead. "That you're beautiful."  
  
He kissed her cheek. "And I love you."  
  
His lips met hers and he held her to him as he kissed her sweetly. He suddenly looked at her seriously. "The baby will be part demon, you know." Kagome smiled and reached up to rub the nearest ear into her palm.  
  
"Yes, I know." Kagome watched as his hand slid down her side and came to rest on her stomach.  
  
"And we may be hunted because of it," he said and looked sad. "Our trials in the future may be more difficult than the ones we have already faced." Kagome pulled him down and wrapped her arms securely around him, giving him reassurance with the warmth of her body.  
  
"Then we will face it together my love."  
Author's notes: Well, I've had this chapter in my computer for maybe a year or something. This is the definite end! No more chapters. (Cries) I loved this story. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 


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